Glass sheets such as vehicle windshields and other vehicle windows, as well as window glass sheets, are typically manufactured by glass manufacturers to the customers specifications and then shipped to the customer for their use. The customer then used the glass sheets in assembly of its products. For example, in the case of automotive manufacturing, the glass windshields and/or other vehicle windows are used at the appropriate area of an assembly line whereat they are affixed to the vehicle windshield and other window openings.
As can be appreciated, the various glass sheets must be properly packed for shipment from the glass manufacturer to the customer/user of the glass sheets. The glass sheets must be properly and securely packed to avoid breakage. Additionally, it is desirable that the packing or storage method and apparatus be easily and efficiently usable both when the glass sheets are packed or loaded and, also, when the glass sheets are removed for use.
The glass sheets can be removed from the storage apparatus or rack manually and/or, as is typically the case in automotive manufacturing assembly lines, by robots. In general, these robots are programmed to travel to the storage rack, grab by suction cups or other means the most forward glass sheet, lift the glass sheet out of the storage rack and place it in the appropriate vehicle window opening.
Storage racks have been devised in the past for effectively and efficiently loading the glass to prevent breakage and for easy removal thereof from the storage rack manually or by robots. One example of such a storage rack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,891. There, a plurality of lever arms are provided and operate to pivotally locate a support arm inbetween the glass sheets as each glass sheet is loaded and comes in contact with a roller attached to the lever arm. Unfortunately, this apparatus is somewhat complicated and, more importantly, does not provide any spacer member inbetween and directly in contact with the successive glass sheets at their upper end thereof thereby leading to potentially undesirable breakage.
Other means of storing glass sheets for transport to end users has been to locate foam and/or other plastic type spacers inbetween the glass sheets as they are loaded onto a storage rack. One or more belts are then wrapped around the glass sheets holding them together for transport. Here, as the end user removes the glass sheets from the storage rack, the foam and/or plastic spacers simply fall or are otherwise removed from the rack. Unfortunately, the foam and/or plastic spacers are typically not reusable and must be discarded. This creates environmental and landfill problems and is, therefore, undesirable.
Accordingly, a need exists for a storage rack apparatus that can easily be loaded and unloaded both manually and by robots, which is effective in preventing breakage of the glass sheets and, further, does not create landfill and environmental problems.